Cat whiskers
A cat uses its whiskers for hunting. They also serve an important navigational purpose. Moreover, whiskers can tell us a lot about what mood our cat is in.
Whiskers are so-called ‘sensing hairs’. Besides whiskers a cat has ‘sensing hair’ above the eyelids, on the chin, and on the back of the front legs. These hairs are generally two to three times thicker than the hairs of the coat. A cat has about 24 whiskers; on each side of the face there are 12. They are placed in four rows.
The roots of the whiskers are placed three times deeper in the cat’s skin tissue than its regular coat. ‘Sensing hairs’ / whiskers are surrounded by nerves and blood vessels. The whiskers are also surrounded by muscle tissue so they can move forward and backwards. The top row moves independently from the lower rows. The nerves connected to the whiskers send signals and stimuli, detected and received by the whiskers, directly to the brain.
Whiskers as navigational instruments
During the day, the whiskers are used as a minimum navigational tool. Full capacity of the whiskers is only used in circumstances where visibility is bad. When during the day a cat moves its whiskers forwards and backwards, the ends of the whiskers are detecting change in air or vibration. These are converted into messages, like the motion of a prey or objects, to the brain.
The location of the ‘sensing hairs’ determine their exact function. The ‘sensing hairs’ in the face of a cat are designed for hunting skills. The ‘sensing hairs’ that are attached to a muscle help them navigate in confined spaces. These ‘sensing hairs’ are about as wide as the body of the cat. Although it is often said that the cat’s whiskers are used to see if it fits through somewhere, this has not been scientifically proven. However, evidence does suggest that the whiskers help determine where the bite must be placed on the prey to kill it instantly. The ‘sensing hairs’ on the back of the front legs provide information about the captured prey. Because cats have a bad close-up vision, they often cannot see what prey they have caught. The ‘sensing hairs’ on the legs provide the cat with information about the size and position of its prey. With these sensing hairs they can also feel a victim trying to escape.
Communication
Whiskers as communication.~ Shy or frightened - The whiskers are pulled together and lie flat against the cheeks of the cat. This makes the face smaller and less threatening. This whisker position may also mean that the cat is angry or feeling vulnerable. We see cats positioning their whiskers like this when greeting each other.
~ Tense or excited - To take in its immediate environment while hunting a prey, playing or just walking around, the cat moves its whiskers forward. This applies not only to the long whiskers, but also for the shorter whiskers. With these short hairs the cat can observe the position of its prey.
~ Content and relaxed - The whiskers are now perpendicular to the head of the cat.
In the 17th century, people thought that when you cut off the whiskers of the cat, the cat would be less courageous. Studies have shown that when the whiskers from cats are cut, they repeatedly fail to strike their prey when hunting.
Like other hairs whiskers fall out sometimes. Do not worry, there’s new hair growing back to replace it.